


No Lifeguard on Duty

by Plum_in_Cryo



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Ducky Bucky, Floaties, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 13:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7389055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plum_in_Cryo/pseuds/Plum_in_Cryo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers have a pool party and Bucky learns to endure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Lifeguard on Duty

Bucky had never liked water. For one thing, it was wet. For another, Steve had never been strong enough to swim when they were kids so Bucky just didn’t swim that often. He did know how, but not well and he didn’t enjoy it. So when Steve burst into his room at Avengers Tower holding swimming trunks and a towel, Bucky was less than overjoyed.

     “Hey, Buck. I brought these because all of us are going swimming today and I knew that you didn’t have a pair of trunks.” Steve held them out to his friend. “Sorry they’re covered in American flags, they’re mine. The team bought them for me. So anyway, suit up and meet on the roof in twenty minutes.” Steve left the towel on Bucky’s bed and left the room to get dressed.

     Bucky got up from his chair and closed the history book he had been reading. From Steve’s enthusiasm, Bucky guessed that this Avengers pool party was not to be missed. He walked over to the bed and ruefully scooped up the swimming trunks. American flags were fine for Steve, but Bucky did not like looking like a walking symbol of patriotism. He slipped into the trunks though, for Steve he thought. He adjusted his towel on his neck to best hide the scars from his metal arm, then exited his room.

     Steve was standing at the kitchen island eating a quick snack while he waited. He turned to Bucky and grinned his dorkiest smile with half a Twinkie in his mouth. Steve pointed from Bucky’s trunks to his own still beaming. Bucky looked at Steve’s trunks then to his own. They were identical. He and Steve were completely twinning. Steve was overjoyed. Bucky was not.

     All of the Avengers were on the roof and in the pool by the time Steve and Bucky got there. Thor was in a pair of Tony’s swimming trunks from the look of it, Iron Man masks all over them. Tony was lounging in a chair with a half-finished martini on the table beside him. Pepper was reading a book in the chair next to him. Wow, Tony was lucky. In an elegant white one piece bathing suit, Pepper was…well she was…Bucky couldn’t find the right word, but he thought that HAWT fit the bill, but she was Tony’s girlfriend so he kept his thoughts to himself.

     Clint was at the bottom of the pool holding his breath for what seemed like forever. Nat was in the shallow end timing him. Bucky was surprised that Nat wasn’t wearing a two piece. From different sources (Tony) he had learned much about current women’s fashion, Nat probably didn’t want to give anyone any ideas. Steve loped up to the pool, dropped his towel, and cannonballed in. Natasha laughed and Thor yelled something like “WELL DONE GOOD FRIEND STEVEN. THY SPLASH WAS WORTHY OF A WARRIOR!” The waves startled Clint so badly that he appeared on the surface sputtering and spitting water.

     “Wow, Steve, warn a guy next time.” Steve laughed good-naturedly and apologized. Steve always the good guy.

     The commotion drew Tony out of his slumber. “Oh hey, Cap.” Looking at Bucky, “and you brought the sidekick.” Tony slid his sunglasses down his nose. “Are those Steve’s?” He was looking at Bucky’s swimming trunks.

     “Yep,” Bucky patted the trunks, trying to complete the motion without moving his towel. “Who else has red, white, and blue spangled swimming trunks?” With every word, Bucky glared at Steve a bit more pointedly. Steve just waved innocently from the pool, the punk.

     “We’re matching,” Steve added, using his arms to raise himself out of the water so Tony could see his swimming trunks. Tony just rolled his eyes and went back to his nap. Steve turned to Bucky, “Hey, Jerk, you gonna join us? Or are you gonna nap with the old men?” An annoyed grunt came from the lounge chair.

     “Um, I was thinking about kicking water at you, punk. I don’t really want to swim today.” Bucky settled down on the edge of the pool and kicked water in Steve’s face. Steve laughed and retaliated with another wave of water. Thor catching in on the fun scooped his hand into the water and launched a mammoth wave at Bucky.

     After he could breathe again, Bucky found himself wiping water out of his eyes, while Clint dissolved in stitches of laughter. Steve had swam over to him to make sure he was alright.

     “You okay, Buck?”

     Bucky coughed a final time. “Yeah, I’m fine as long as Poseidon doesn’t send another wave over here.” He glanced over at Thor who was now in conversation (loud conversation) with Nat and Clint.

     “He didn’t mean any harm.”

     “Yeah, I know.”

     “Are you gonna come in?” Steve swam backwards trying to convince Bucky to get into the pool. 

     “I don’t really feel like it, Stevie.”

     “If this is about D.C.—“

     “No, it’s not.” Bucky cut Steve off just a bit too soon with a bit too much of an edge in his voice. Steve came closer and lowered his voice.

     “I’m sorry, Buck. I wasn’t sure. I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

     Bucky looked up at his friend and smiled. “It’s okay, Steve. I’ll be ok. I just don’t want to swim right—“

     Before either of them knew what had happened, Bucky was in the water and Steve was sputtering from the splash. Tony had snuck up behind Bucky and given him a good shove. Tony was known to do that. Last week, Clint had been pushed into the pool while wearing a tux. Needless to say, that had not gone well. When Bucky didn’t pop up after several seconds, Tony’s most recent prank seemed also to be a mistake.

     Steve went from laughing to straight panic in three seconds. He dove to the bottom of the pool and grabbed Bucky. Bucky came up sputtering and thrashing, wishing very bad things upon Tony and his close relations. Steve swam with strong even strokes moving his friend from the deep to the shallow end. When he could touch the bottom, Bucky stood up and fought off Steve’s grasp.

     “I’m fine. I’m fine, get off me,” he coughed up water with the words.

     For being such a good friend, Bucky could get very annoying when he wanted to. Steve was used to it.

     “You sure you’re okay, Buck? You weren’t swimming—“

     “Yeah, because I CAN’T!” Bucky was glaring daggers at Tony who was making a point to look everywhere but at Bucky. The conversation at the other end of the pool had ceased and all eyes were watching them.

     Turning to Steve, “I can’t Steve. I did in the Potomac but that was a miracle. My arm was broken, and my metal arm was way too heavy, but you were in trouble, so I swam. But—I can’t now.”

     The silence was awkward, and painful, painfully awkward. Natasha, brave woman that she was, broke the stillness.

     “Bucky?” Bucky looked over at Nat who had climbed out of the pool and was walking over to the overstocked collection of pool toys. “Here’s something that might help.”

     Over the years, Bucky had had many, many things thrown at him: grenades, punches, food, but never pink and yellow floaties, that was definitely a first. The ducky princess floaties landed in the water a foot away from him and bobbed up and down like they were waving at him. Everyone was tense, waiting to see what Bucky would do.

     Heaving a sigh as big as a mountain and glaring at Steve, Bucky plucked the floaties from the water and slipped them on his arms. Bucky decided that the star spangled swimming trunks he was wearing were not the biggest fashion faux paux that he was committing. Cracking a grin at Steve, Bucky elbowed him and said, “Hey, I’m ready. Guess you have to teach me to swim, punk.”

     Steve grinned and laughed, joined by everyone else on the roof. After all the Winter Soldier was in the middle of the swimming pool wearing red, white, and blue swimming trunks and pink and yellow floaties, a sight that was rare, even for the Avengers, and, yes, it was definitely hilarious. Bucky, while learning to doggie paddle, decided that swimming wasn’t that hard. Steve was now strong enough to join him. He’d get over being wet. Bucky was beginning to enjoy himself, floaties and all.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave me a comment or drop a suggestion.
> 
> I love getting new inspiration :)


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